Ralph D. and Claire M. (Baker) Shipp Scholarship

Eligibility: All
Area of Interest: General

Criteria:

The recipient shall be a graduate of a Sheridan and/or Cherry County high school in the state of Nebraska. Financial need shall be the primary criteria for the recipient. Scholastic ability shall be the secondary criteria in making this award.

Ralph graduated from Chadron State College in 1924 with a B. A. degree in education. While at Chadron State, he was on the football and track teams. He was inducted as a charter member into the Chadron State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983. He taught and coached athletics in Nebraska and Kansas high schools for seven years. In 1935, he received a B.S. degree in agriculture from Kansas State University. In the fall of 1936, Ralph entered the U.S. Indian Service as an instructor in agriculture. He served for two years at Pawnee, Okla., and six years at Oglala High School in Pine Ridge, S.D. He also worked for the U.S. Soil Conservation Service as a work unit conservationist. He retired in 1967. Claire enrolled at Chadron Normal Prep School, where she met Ralph and received her Elementary State Certificate in 1924. She attended CSC for two years. They raised two children. Claire also attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and received her degree in home economics in 1956. In 1959, she was employed as a case worker for the Boulder County Department of Social Services until 1971, when she retired.